Information on the Educational Backgrounds of Kazakh Leaders

In the vast expanses of the Kazakh steppes, a rich and intriguing history unfolds, a history that has left its mark on the sands of time. One of the most fascinating aspects of this history is the lost letters of the Kazakh Khanate, a testament to a time when the ruling elite and the general population had already embraced Islam.

The Kazakh Khanate, a successor of the Ulus of Jochi, was a formidable force in Central Asia. However, when it comes to personal correspondence from the Kazakh khanate nobles, there is a dearth of surviving handwritten letters. Most historical records from that era are official decrees or oral traditions.

What we do know is that each letter was authenticated with the khan's personal seal, inscribed in Arabic script. This practice underscores the importance placed on written communication, despite the nomads' traditional valuation of oral knowledge.

Oral knowledge was indeed highly valued among nomads, encompassing fairy tales, family stories, and survival skills. However, when it came to education, the picture becomes less clear. Little information survives about the education of Kazakh khans in the Middle Ages.

However, it is known that there were dynasties of judges and beks in the Kazakh Khanate whose children received a good education. Veniamin Yudin explains that the khans' courts always included Muslim religious figures-sayyids and hodjas-who taught the children of the ruling dynasties to read and write.

One such khan was Tauekel Khan, son of Shigai Khan, who was proficient in Persian and composed poetry. Another notable figure was Muhammad Sheibani, a descendant of Abulkhair Khan and a conqueror of modern Uzbekistan, who was fluent in several languages.

Correspondence between Kazakh rulers and representatives of the Asharkhanid dynasty is also known. An angry letter from Imamkuli Khan to Kazakh Murat Sultan, for instance, has been preserved. Kazakh rulers corresponded not only in Turkic but also in Oirat and Manchu, with letters from Abylai Khan in these languages preserved in China.

Letters from Syrym Datov, a foreman of the Kazakh tribe and leader of the anti-colonial movement, addressed to the biis of individual clans have also been preserved. These letters provide a glimpse into the political affairs and diplomacy of the Kazakh elite.

In the Kazakh nomadic steppes, literacy was a privilege primarily held by the khans and sultans. However, Adilbek Karatayev believes that literacy among biis and batyrs (warriors) was quite widespread.

The first recorded documents of the tribal elite of that time include letters written by the biis of the Kete tribe in the 18th century. Karatayev believes that the rulers reviewed the contents of these letters, as they could not place complete trust in their scribes.

In the 18th century, the biis (judges) of the Kete tribe corresponded with Russia, despite being subordinate to Abulkhair Khan, suggesting a degree of literacy among the tribal elite.

The Karluks-Karakhanids, who ruled southern Kazakhstan, were the first state in the region to adopt Islam and enter Islamic civilization with their own writing system based on Arabic script.

This brief exploration into the lost letters of the Kazakh Khanate offers a fascinating insight into a time when the written word played a crucial role in the political and diplomatic affairs of the nomadic elite. Despite the scarcity of surviving personal handwritten letters, the evidence suggests a rich literary tradition that deserves further exploration and study.